061916-Hope Powwow
CTA: Lorcan is presently banging her head against a wall, a dull thud followed by a quiet "ow" is the only noise she is making. CTG: "U-um." Arty approaches, looking like he cleaned himself up a bit and fixed his hair. He's stood up straight, stuck out his chest in a display of fake confidence. "H-hi." CTA: She hits her head against the wall one last time before looking over at the human with a look of utter loathing. "What." CTG: Well. This isn't off to a good start. Must not falter now. "I-I...um...wanted t-to talk. About, our, er, powers." CTA: "And why, pray tell, would that be?" She stares. CTG: "B-because...we're Hope players. And...I was hoping to understand it more. M-maybe...maybe you could b-benefit from talking about it...?" Arty resists the urge to hide himself behind a potted(dead) plant. CTA: "Why do you think I would know about that. CTA: " CTG: "Well...to be honest,I just assume that everyone knows m-more than me...but I heard a few things that may help..." CTA: Lorcan quirks one eyebrow up and her shoulders shake with repressed laughter. CTA: "You don't seem to get my situation here." CTG: "...w-what do you mean?" CTA: "You know more than I do. You entered this game normally. I did not." CTG: "Oh...h-how did you enter the game?" He leans against the wall, looking earnestly at her. CTA: "Through Antera's hive. I was called the Stowaway for a while." CTG: "...wow. I didn't know you could...d-do that." CTA: "I was stealing from her." CTA: She shrugs a little, looking back at the wall where her forehead is pressed. CTA: "It ended up netting me a few good things and a whole mess of bad. What else do you want to know." CTG: Arty gets the feeling he should back off. "I...guess you might have some...questions?" CTA: "Why would I have questions. You came to me." CTG: "I...came thinking that you...were more knowledgeable than me...but, er, I was wondering i-if you'd still wanna...talk, at least?" CTA: "If you insist. Talk, then, human." CTG: Arty looks surprised, then walks a little closer, sitting against the wall. "O-okay...thanks...so, er, what do you like? Interests and stuff, I mean..." CTA: "Other than the violence, as I'm sure you've heard?" She barks a laugh. CTG: Arty attempts casual laughter. "Er...yeah..." CTA: Lorcan is not convinced by that laughter, but doesn't mention it. "I used to make... scrapbooks." CTG: Arty looks over at her. How...mundane. The thought that she may be a normal person after all fills him with RELAXATION. "Really?" CTA: "Why is that surprising?" CTG: "Well, er, I don't know much about...troll culture, but...I guess I thought it was a h-human thing..." CTA: "I don't know anything about human culture, to be fair." CTG: "...do you...er, mind showing me it? Y-your scrapbook." CTA: "I don't have them anymore. CTA: " Her voice is flat. CTG: Arty gets the feeling that she should back off. ".....I could, um...try building a c-camera...if you want to start again... CTA: "And showcase what, exactly? My doubly dead moirail who, for the record, holds my matesprit's lives in his grubby little hands?" CTG: Yikes. Touchy subject, apparently. "...that's...a bad situation...b-but, hey, being with him still is nice...right?" CTA: "I'm with him as a ghost. I'm with both of them. As a ghost. Your camera wouldn't do much for me here, now would it?" CTG: Arty hangs his head a bit...and has a bit of an idea. "Maybe...with a little Hope...it could." CTA: "Hope." She frowns at him. CTA: "The Aspect NEITHER of us knows how to use." CTG: Arty, usually one to shy away from a "no", felt he couldn't back down here. "W-well yeah, but...teamwork is always...useful, I-I would say...and Nyarla told me that he could manipulate his aspect...I'm a Mage too...." He stands, beginning to pace a little. "I don't know what Bards do, but in other video games, they help out the party...by boosting their abilities..." CTA: "According to Meira, I think, I remove or grant it. I'd have to read the guide to be sure. But I don't have that on me right now." She sinks to the floor, not sharing his sudden change of mood. CTG: "There's...a guide?" He stops. Looks at her. CTA: "For me at least." CTG: Arty sits as well, conscious of his height. "So.....d-does each person have their o-own? CTA: "I don't know. This one was a part of a deal made before entry, as far as I'm aware. The fact that I have it is just because Antera wasn't the actual Player." CTG: "Wow...I see...um, who's Meira?" CTA: "Handmaiden." CTG: "...to whom?" CTA: "Libby...." She gives him a look. It is not a good one. CTG: A part of Arty thought it may have been funny to ask who Libby is. But then it died. Violently. "Oh...I see. I-I don't think I've...s-seen them before." CTA: "They stay in the Archives for the most part... Were you at the Gala?" CTG: "Yeah, I went." CTA: "They were there. Meira lost her eyes because of Nyarla." CTG: Arty looks at her with one wide, almost innocent eye. "Wow...I didn't know that..." He looks back at his knees. "Poor girl..." CTA: "Yes. She's managing though. I spoke with her not too long ago." CTG: "...I wish I could do something..." CTG: Almost whispered. This is a thought out loud, more than a statement to Lorcan. CTA: Lorcan fiddles with her bangs, straightening them back out from her repeated head drubbings against the wall. CTG: "Wasn't there...another one? Another Handmaiden?" CTA: "Moira. Yes." CTG: "Moira and Meira...they must be sisters..." CTA: "From what I know, probably?" She stops fiddling with her bangs. CTG: "What does.....a handmaiden even do...?" CTA: "I don't really know, actually. They're the ones who brought me to both the Archives and Heliux's planet." She shrugs a little. CTG: "Heliux...the yellow guy, right?" CTA: "Yellowblood, yes." CTG: Arty shivers a little, thinking about his first encounter with him, then remembers a little something else that gives him a better feeling. "You know he's gonna start pranking Mike?" CTA: "I'd rather they both die." CTG: That was...blunt. "...I really can't blame you..." CTG: "Who do you...like? Besides Eribus and Nyarla I mean.. CTA: "Lorrea and the Empr.... Aaisha." She smiles an insincere smile. "Serios." CTG: "...somehow, I gather you two...aren't on the best of terms?" CTA: "What? Oh." She schools her features... Terribly. "He'd be my kismesis if things were better." CTG: Arty nods. CTG: After a moment, he says quietly, "despite everything....I...think...everything will be better. Somehow..." CTA: "Not if his matesprit has anything to say about it." Her voice falls a little. CTG: "She doesn't want you two to...?" CTA: "No." She glares at him. CTG: Arty is done a frighten. Time to change the subject. "Oh, uh...I see... But,er, what I meant was...the session...will be better..." CTA: Lorcan continues to glare and doesn't say anything. CTG: A tiny part of Arty is getting exasperated. Could he say anything without encountering the salt? "Lorcan...I'm not good at talking to p-people. B-but I'm trying t-to get to know you, and I...would appreciate it i-if you could...give me a break? Or...at least tell m-me what not to t-talk about?" CTA: She turns away from him and hits her head on the wall. "Everything. Anything. Avoid my personal nonsense and we're grubsauce." CTG: "Alright then." CTG: "Um...okay... CTG: "Sorry." CTA: "You're the worst conversation companion. And I've talked at length with Serios and Heliux." CTG: Arty sighs. "I....only interacted with one other person for most of my life." CTG: "I'm still...adjusting." CTA: "Imagine that." She hits her head again. "Something we almost have in common. Except not." CTG: Arty would have asked, but that would be personal business. And he so desperately wanted to be grubsauce. "...how'd you get so good at conversing...?" CTA: "I yelled at my lusus for bringing home weird shit. Also talking to the people I stole from after I stole from them." CTG: Stealing? Huh. Maybe even highbloods had it rough, too. "Your lusus brought home weird stuff...?" CTA: "Usually corpses of other lusii...." CTG: "....for you to eat...?" CTA: "No. That's disgusting. You don't eat lusii. Well. She did. But that's what she did." She shrugs a little. "Killed and ate other lusii and the occasional musclebeast." CTG: "I don't know what a musclebeast is, but...it sounds tough...what k-kind of Lusus was it?" CTA: "Giant river otter." CTG: How did a troll know what a river otter was? Was it universal, like the word candy? Troll culture sure is weird. "...terrifying...sounds like she cared for you, though..." CTA: "She did her best. She spent most of her time in the river. Like most of the lusii around us." CTG: "My guardian...did his best, too." CTA: Lorcan spares him a glance. "That's what they do." CTG: Arty looks at his feet for a while, knees drawn to his chest. "Yeah...I'll bet he's looking for me, still, on my planet...Unc was too strong to...you know......never mind." Arty shakes his head, clearing his head of those thoughts. Those can be repressed for at least another month. "Do...trolls have parents? Besides Lusii?" CTA: "We have ancestors, trolls who share our signs..." She makes to gesture at her shirt and blushes feriociously purple when she remembers who's clothes she's wearing. "But no. Other than that, our lusii take care of us and we take care of them." CTG: Arty nods, slowly, taking in the information. "That's interesting...Lusii are cool. Humans don't really have anything like that..." CTA: "What do you have?" Lorcan sounds vaguely curious, but is still very purple in the face. CTG: "We have parents. They...give us our genes and stuff...most of the time. They act as our guardians, and teach us a-about the world." CTA: "You have two?" CTG: Arty nods, thinking about how he's always wanted to teach an alien about humanity. "Yeah. They're...like ancestors. But c-closer to us." CTA: "Oh. Okay. That makes a little more sense." CTG: "My Guardian...was.../is/ the o-opposite of me. Kinda small...s-skinny. Really nice. He knows m-martial arts." CTA: Lorcan fidgets with the hem of the shirt she's wearing. "You must like him a lot." CTG: "Yeah...." Arty is silent a moment. "You...must like Eribus a lot..." CTA: She blushes again. "He's my matesprit. Of course I like him." CTG: "Eribus really is a good g-guy...I wish I could be more like him..." CTA: "He's the best thing that's happened to me in my almost seven sweeps of life." Lorcan smiles. CTG: Arty feels a distinct warmness in his chest at her words. He smiles as well, looking down some more. "You guys make a really good couple..." CTA: "It didn't start out that way. A matespritship, I mean." The purpleblood covers her mouth in a laugh. CTG: Arty gives her a look, innocently curious. "What do you mean?" CTA: "He and I started out like all of the rest of the trolls that I talked to. Exchanging black feelings!" CTG: Arty suppresses a laugh. "You guys started out blackrom?" CTA: "Well not full on blackrom, no. More like threats and general hatred thrown at each other." She waves her hand a little. "Normal troll things, I guess." CTG: Arty nods. Troll romance sure is weird. "Humans are...usually pretty awkward. Don't...really talk about much of a-anything...th-that is, from what I gather while w-while watching romcoms..." CTA: "You watch romcoms?" Lorcan side-eyes him. CTG: Arty nods, slowly. CTA: Humans sure are weird! "I read them....." CTG: "...really?" CTA: "Maybe." She looks away CTG: "....do you have any with you...? I could...try to put together a translator..." CTA: Now she looks upset. "No." CTG: "Why...?" CTG: "I-I mean." CTG: "I...can lend you a few of mine, I-if you like." CTA: "My things are long destroyed. Alternia is where they all are... were..." CTG: "I...see...sorry. There's...a few that I have in my sylladex..." CTA: "I don't even think... No... Antera's books are probably all gone too...." She doesn't seem to be listening. CTG: Arty is nothing, if not dogged is his attempts to make this better, somehow. "Scanlations aren't...hard to come up with..." CTA: "I wonder if I could convince Libby to let me read the books now....." Wow she's so rude. CTG: "I think that you could..." CTA: "I'll try it later." CTG: Arty nods. "Really, if you want, I'll...try that whole translating thing..." CTA: "I don't have any books on me though." CTG: "I mean...English, to Alternian. That's what it is, r-right? Alternian?" CTA: "Yes. Alternian." CTA: "Eribus has a lot of books here though." CTG: "Ohh, that's right..." There goes his chance to be useful. CTA: "If you want to read them, I'm sure he'd let you?" CTG: "Maybe he w-would. It would be...an interesting look into troll c-culture..." Just then, Arty's phone buzzes. Mentioning something about Aaisha. CTA: "Troll culture isn't all that exciting?" She pauses to look at her own phone. CTG: "...what does God Tier mean?" CTA: "oh." CTG: "What...?" CTA: "Nyarla mentioned something about that...." She looks angry. "That means she died.... and then became less dead?" CTG: "...how does that work?" CTA: "I don't know." CTG: "Can we ask her...?" CTA: "You can." Lorcan's tone suggests she doesn't want to ask. CTG: "...maybe later....Aaisha s-seems nice, but..." CTA: "Aaisha is really nice!" CTG: "She...has this v-vibe, I guess...I don't know what it is..." CTA: "Empresses usually do." Suddenly she sounds amused. CTG: "W-what do you mean?" CTA: "Aaisha is the empress of the trolls?" CTG: "W-well, yeah, but...is it a troll thing that she...is scary..?" CTA: "You think I'm scary too, don't you?" She shrugs a little. "I don't find her scary. I follow her orders or tell her that a plan is stupid." CTG: Arty thinks that everyone is scary, to some degree. "Okay...you're braver than I'll ever be..." CTA: "I'm the Grand Highblood now. It's what I was born to do?" Lorcan doesn't sound like she's impressed with herself. "Brave? I ran and hid when Sannta showed up." CTG: "At least you were in there the next time...all I did was stand and watch as it all happened...." Arty retreats into himself. "You're stronger than me, too. It was you who clinched that one fight..." CTA: "Which one? The one with Antera?" She huffs a laugh. CTG: "Yeah, yeah...you had the mallet." CTA: "Actually Heliux has that." CTG: "...why?" CTA: "He's the one who got it away from Antera. I ended it because... Well I felt like I could? Purpleblood powers are weird." CTG: "...Whoa. I wish humans had powers like that..." CTA: She stares at him. "No you don't." CTG: "...why not?" CTA: "Purplebloods aren't well liked, in case you haven't noticed." She shrugs. "It's not important anymore." CTG: "Maybe I don't...but...to be that powerful..." Arty looks at the palm of his hand in a very anime-esque way. CTA: "I ended the Court is all I did." CTG: "There's so much more you could do, though..." CTA: "I don't have chucklevoodoos, Arty." CTG: "You...you don't?" CTA: "No." She shrugs a little. Lorcan seems oddly unbroken up about it. ?TG: "...why not?* CTA: "Who knows. Gonna see what I can find out about them though while my ghost is in the Archives." CTG: Okay... I'll just...hang out. Yeah." CTA: "Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?" CTG: Arty began to say yes, but wasn't DETERMINED enough. "I...guess I'll ask about what you found, when you c-come back. S-sorry to bother you." CTA: "Don't be so... scared next time. I don't actually bite." CTG: Arty nods. "I...I'll try. Being scared is kinda...all I really know." CTA: Lorcan shrugs and puts her head back against the wall. CTG: Arty stands, and with a timid but friendly wave, he takes his leave. Category:Lorcan Category:Arty